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Wireless Glossary1XRTT - A 2.5G network standard that has been adopted by US wireless carriers, initially deployed in test markets towards the end of 2001. 2.5G - Faster than original wireless networks, but slower than 3G, 2.5 networks are promoted by carriers as stepping stones to eventual 3G deployments. 3G - An industry term used to describe the next generation of public wireless voice+data networks. To qualify as 3G, a network must meet certain requirements for speed, availability, reliability and other criteria set forth by the International Telecommunications Union. There are many 3G network technologies being developed, generally they are packet-based “always on” networks.
802.11 - A family of wireless Local Area Network specifications. The 802.11b standard in particular is seeing widespread acceptance and deployment in corporate campuses, and at commercial facilities such as airports and coffee shops that want to offer wireless networking to their patrons. AMPS - Advanced Mobile Phone Service. A term used for the first generation of analog wireless technology. It is based on waveform transmission unlike digital technologies, which broadcast ones and zeros. Bandwidth - The size of the network “pipe” or channel for communications in wired networks. In wireless networks, it is determined in part by the range of frequencies that can carry a signal, as well as efficiency of the wireless network for supporting multiple “conversations” on any given frequency. Measured in Kbps or Mbps. Bluetooth - A short-range wireless specification that allows radio connections between devices within a 10-meter range of each other. Bluetooth is designed as a Personal Area Network technology with a wide variety of theoretical uses. Broadband - Descriptive term for evolving digital technology that provides consumers a single switch facility offering integrated access to voice, high-speed data service, video demand services, and interactive delivery services. CDMA - Code Division Multiple Access. US carriers use CDMA technology to power their wireless networks. CDMA allows for multiple transmissions to be carried simultaneously on a single wireless channel. CDMA is a 2G wireless technology that is an alternative to GSM – the standard in Europe and Asia. CDPD - Cellular Digital Packet Data. Allows telecommunications companies to transfer data over existing cellular networks to users. CDPD is currently a common choice for wireless data in the US. Cellular - General name for analog and digital networks that divide large areas into smaller coverage areas called cells. As a user moves from cell to cell their connection is theoretically handed off without interruption. Circuit Switched - A classification for networks where the device connects to the network only when placing or receiving a call, such as with a traditional phone line. Next generation wireless networks will use packet-based networks, which are “always connected.” Dual Band Mobile Phone - A mobile phone that picks up analog signals when a digital signal fades. The handset operates on both 800 MHz cellular and 1900 MHz PCS frequencies. EDGE - Enhanced Data for GSM Evolution. A faster technology for GSM and TDMA networks that may offer wireless data transfer of up to 384 Kbps. GPRS -General Packet Radio Service. A 2.5G technology being implemented in GSM networks. It is a packet-based “always on” technology with data transfer speeds of up to 114Kbps. GSM - Global Systems for Mobile Communications. A digital cellular or PCS standard for how data is coded and transferred through the wireless spectrum. It is the 2G wireless standard throughout the world – except the US. GSM is an alternative to CDMA. HDML - Handheld Device Markup Language. Technology based on HTTP, the underlying Web protocol, that allows for the display of text versions of web pages on wireless devices. I-Mode - A very popular service in Japan for transferring packet based data to handheld devices. It is based on a compact version of HTML and does not use WAP standards. AT&T Wireless and the creator of I-Mode – NTT DoCoMo – may bring the I-mode service to the US in the future. IDEN - Integrated Digital Enhanced Network. A TDMA based technology that allows users to access phone calls, two-way radio transmissions, and paging and data transmissions on one device. Developed by Motorola, the Nextel service in North America uses it, as do some carriers in South America and parts of Asia. Packet - A way of organizing data for transmission to break larger data streams up into smaller bundles that are pieced back together by the recipient based on header, text, and trailer information in each packet. Packet based networks are typically “always on” and do not require the user to initiate a dial-in to connect to the server. PCS - Personal Communication Services. A general category for two way digital networks with integrated voice, data, and messaging capabilities. PDA -Personal Digital Assistant.Personal Digital Assistant. A small computing device based on the Microsoft Pocket PC standard or Palm OS. Generally PDA means the same as “handheld,” a term that is more frequently used, as the devices have taken on a growing role in corporate computing. Typically available with embedded Email, calendaring, address book, tasks, and memo applications. Third party and custom developed software can extend the functionality of the device. Smartphone - A combination of a mobile phone and a PDA. Smartphones differ from normal phones in that they have an open operating system and local storage, so that the user or corporation can add information and applications to the phone as they could with a PDA. SMS - Short Messaging Service. A service through which users can send text based messages from one device to another. The message is limited to 160 characters. This is typically the delivery mechanism for “Email” to digital phones today. The Email is converted to an SMS message, truncated to 160 characters, and delivered to the user’s handset. TDMA - Time Division Multiple Access. A wireless technology that allows for increased bandwidth over digital cellular networks. Similar to CDMA, the call stream is broken into fragments so that multiple calls can take place over a single frequency. WAP - Wireless Application Protocol. A set of protocols that provide optimized web access on digital wireless devices such as mobile phones. WAP is designed to work over existing wireless networks including CDMA and GSM, and typically involves a WAP microbrowser on the device and a WAP gateway server at the carrier facility to connect to the Internet. WASP - Wireless Application Service Provider. These vendors provide hosted wireless applications so that companies will not have to build their own sophisticated wireless infrastructures. WCDMA - Wideband CDMA. A third-generation wireless technology under development that allows for high-speed, high-quality data transmission. Derived from CDMA, WCDMA digitizes and transmits wireless data over a broad range of frequencies. It requires more bandwidth than CDMA but offers faster transmission because it optimizes the use of multiple wireless signals—not just one, as with CDMA. Wi-Fi – Wireless Fidelity. A logo granted as the “seal of interoperability” by the Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance (WECA). Only select wireless networking products possess this characteristic of IEEE 802.11b. Wireless Spectrum - A band of frequencies where wireless signals travel carrying voice and data information. Wireless spectrum is typically auctioned or assigned to carriers by each national government. WISP -Wireless Internet Service Provider. A vendor that specializes in providing wireless Internet access. WLAN - Wireless Local Area Network. A wireless LAN is a data communications system providing wireless peer-to-peer (PC-to-PC, PC-to-hub, or printer-to-hub) and point-to-point (LAN-to-LAN) connectivity within a building or campus. In place of TP or coaxial wires or optical fiber as used in a conventional LAN, WLANs transmit and receive data over electromagnetic waves. WLANs perform traditional network communications functions such as file transfer, peripheral sharing, e-mail, and database access as well as augmenting wired LANs. WLANs must include NICs (adapters) and access points (in-building bridges), and for campus communications building-to-building (LAN-LAN) bridges. WML - Wireless Markup Language. A version of HDML, WML is based on XML and will run with its own version of JavaScript. Wireless application developers use WML to re-purpose content for wireless devices. WML is the markup standard associated with the WAP protocols. WPAN - Wireless Personal Area Network. Personal area networks are based on a global specification called Bluetooth™ that uses radio frequency to transmit voice and data. Over a short range, this cable-replacement technology wirelessly and transparently synchronizes data across devices and creates access to networks and the Internet. Bluetooth is ideal for mobile professionals who need to link notebook computers, mobile phones, PDAs, PIMs, and other hand-held devices to do business at home, on the road, and in the office. WWAN - Wireless Wide Area Network (WWAN). Wide area networks utilize digital mobile phone systems to access data and information from any location in the range of a cell tower connected to a data-enabled network. Using the mobile phone as a modem, a mobile computing device such as a notebook computer, PDA, or a device with a stand-alone radio card can receive and send information from a network, your corporate intranet, or the Internet. XML - Extensible Markup Language. A technology that is rapidly becoming the global method of choice for creating web content. It operates over multiple devices and network platforms. |
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